


Strangely Familiar

by terma_archivist



Category: Highlander: The Series, The X-Files
Genre: Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-01-01
Updated: 2002-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:29:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26535145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/terma_archivist/pseuds/terma_archivist
Summary: Note from alicettlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived atTER/MAand was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2019. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address onthe TER/MA collection profile.Disclaimers: I don't own these characters, just the thoughts and deeds contained herein. Warnings: I play very fast and loose with HL Canon (specifically what happens to the bodies of dead Immies). If that bothers you overmuch, you've now been warned so don't give me grief about it. Does Virgin!Mulder need a warning? Great big sloppy kisses to Mouse for cracking the whip and Nicole for being the most supportive friend a girl could ask for. These are two fine and excellent betas so obviously the mistakes are clearly mine. Note: emphasis and 'internal thoughts' (the double slashes I usually use were doing weird things in my mail program)
Relationships: Alex Krycek/Fox Mulder, Fox Mulder/Cory Raines
Collections: TER/MA





	Strangely Familiar

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alicettlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [TER/MA](https://fanlore.org/wiki/TER/MA) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2019. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [the TER/MA collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/terma/profile).  
> Disclaimers: I don't own these characters, just the thoughts and deeds contained herein. Warnings: I play very fast and loose with HL Canon (specifically what happens to the bodies of dead Immies). If that bothers you overmuch, you've now been warned so don't give me grief about it. Does Virgin!Mulder need a warning? Great big sloppy kisses to Mouse for cracking the whip and Nicole for being the most supportive friend a girl could ask for. These are two fine and excellent betas so obviously the mistakes are clearly mine. Note: emphasis and 'internal thoughts' (the double slashes I usually use were doing weird things in my mail program)

  
**Strangely Familiar  
by Amy B**

  
Squinting through the dying rays of sunlight, Mulder couldn't quite believe that it was Alex Krycek he saw walking boldly down the sidewalk. He quickly crossed the street in the middle of the block, dodging the dwindling afternoon rush hour traffic. He had no trouble catching up to Krycek, who was strolling along as if he hadn't a care in the world. He followed his quarry for a couple of minutes until the other man turned into a deserted side alley. The fact that Krycek didn't seem to notice that he was being followed made Mulder wary, but he had to take his chances without backup. He was determined not to let the double-crossing syndicate spy get away again. Creeping carefully up behind him, Mulder drew his weapon, pointed it at the back of the dark head, and said, "Stop right there Krycek, you rat bastard mother—" 

Stopping his slow amble, the man raised his hands to shoulder level, keeping them away from his body in a classic please-don't-shoot-me pose. "Chill out buddy. My name's not Krycek, and I don't even know your mama." 

"No, but you knew my father, didn't you? At least in the moment before you murdered him." Mulder kept his gun gripped firmly in this right hand and used his left to grab the man's left wrist. His eyes widened in disbelief at the feel of warm flesh and firm bones, instead of cold plastic and rigid steel. Fingers tightening in a bruising grip, he spun the man around, staring at the hand in his grasp. Turning him loose, Mulder then pushed the other man away slightly. 

Mulder kept his gun at the ready, as he looked the man up and down. He appeared younger than Krycek, his hair a bit longer, eyes twinkling with an amusement that was not at all Krycekian. He'd never seen Alex Krycek dressed like _this_. A long dark coat framed a loose white silk shirt hanging untucked over what had to be the tightest black leather pants Mulder had ever seen. He had the brief thought that it was no wonder the shirt was untucked, even the thin silk probably wouldn't fit between the tight leather and the fine body it encased. 

"Who..." Shaking his head a little, he cleared his throat. "Who the hell _are_ you?" 

"Cory Raines. Who the hell are you?" 

"Federal Agent. Let's see some ID." Even as he asked, Mulder wondered what good looking at his identification would do, since fakes were pathetically easy to come by, especially for a man with Krycek's connections. But then again, this might not even be Krycek. How could he have grown back an _arm_? The hand had been perfectly normal with long graceful fingers and an interesting pattern of calluses. There was warm soft skin on the wrist. 'No salamanders were harmed in the making of this appendage. ' Mulder shook off the silly thought and took the driver's license held out to him. 

"Corwin K. Raines, date of birth... November 13, 1969, address... New York City? What are you doing this far south, Mr. Raines?" 

"You can call me Cory, and why shouldn't I be here? Nashville is as good a place to be as any other. Have you got some ID, Agent...?" 

"Mulder, Fox Mulder." He flipped his badge case open with his free hand. "Are you here on business or pleasure?" 

"I try to mix the two whenever possible. Makes life more interesting, don't you think... Fox?" 

"That's Agent Mulder, if you don't mind." 

"Hey, I'll call you anything you want as long as you're still holding that gun on me. Why are you here? You're not from the local office." 

"I'm on official business. How do you know I'm not stationed here?" 

"I make it my business to know these things. So, what are you going to do? Arrest me? I haven't done anything wrong...lately. You've already got a case so what do you want me for?" 

"You bear an uncanny resemblance to a man wanted for questioning in connection to at least two deaths, maybe more. I'll have to take—" Mulder stopped and stared at the man who was obviously no longer listening. Raines was looking around with his head tilted slightly up, like a wolf scenting prey. "What? What is it?" 

"Agent Mulder, I believe it would be best if we continued this conversation elsewhere. Why don't we go—" 

"You're not going anywhere yet." Mulder watched in disbelief as the young man put his hands down, and started backing away further into the alley. He raised his gun and called out, "Stop right there, Raines." 

"Yeah, _Raines_ is it? Stop right there." 

Mulder turned at the sound of a new voice coming from behind him. A large longhaired man with a scruffy beard and long coat similar to Cory's walked confidently into the alley. 

"I'm not interested. Find someone else," called Cory, as he started running away down the alley. The long coat billowing out behind like great black wings giving him a crow-like appearance before he disappeared behind the building to Mulder's left. Mulder started after him only to be knocked aside by the big stranger barreling past him in hot pursuit. 

Gaining his balance, he pushed off the wall and ran after the two men. He had no idea what was going on, but he was determined to find out. He followed the sounds of the running men through the maze of trash-strewn alleys and side streets that separated rows of warehouses. Finally, Mulder stopped to catch his breath and listen for his quarry, but he couldn't hear them any longer. He slowly walked a few yards in the same direction he'd been going, then picked up his pace when he heard the sound of clashing metal. 

Following the sound into an abandoned building, Mulder squeezed through a half broken door, and found himself surrounded by piles of debris and a few crates and boxes that seemed to form small living spaces for homeless people; none of whom were apparently present at the moment. Quietly creeping further into the cavernous room, he listened to the odd conversation going on over the pinging, clanging metal sounds. 

"I don't have any quarrel with you...do I?" That was Raines, sounding nervous but not quite scared. "We've never met. I don't even know your name." 

"Don't matter," grunted the stranger. "'s a challenge." 

"I still don't see the point. We should just walk away now before someone gets hurt." A flurry of furious clanging punctuated the suggestion. 

"Not leaving 'til I take your head." 

"Well, that's unfortunate then, because I'm keeping it," Raines replied in a fiercely determined tone. 

Mulder peeked around the corner of a stack of crates, eyes widening at the sight of the two men...fencing? No, they were fighting like they meant business. He watched as they lunged and jabbed at each other with long wickedly sharp blades, lurching together then bursting apart, only to come back swinging even harder than before. 

Cory was quite graceful and quick, his movements almost balletic as he danced around his opponent. The other man was bigger and more powerful, but this also made him slower. The bulky brute strength wasn't going to last long against Cory's swift darting blows that left little slices that would inexorably weaken the large man. 

In the dim orange glow of streetlights coming through broken windows, Mulder watched the duel in spellbound silence, marveling at Cory's resemblance to Alex Krycek. The tall, elegantly robust body looked the same. Although he couldn't see them as well as he had earlier, he knew the flashing green eyes, framed by the thickest black lashes he'd had ever seen on a man, the cheekbones, the small straight nose, the slightly pointed ears were the same. And yet this man was not Alex. It was jarring to see the parts that were Not-Alex— the strong _natural_ left arm, the toothy grin as he danced away from his opponent after scoring another shallow hit, the long glittering sword in his hand marred by a thin streak of blood. The biggest difference had to be the mouth, which tended to look sulky or willful on Krycek. Mulder had never seen him grin like Cory did, a full open expression to light up a room. No, all he'd seen on Krycek were polite closed-lipped junior agent smiles, faintly contemptuous sneers, and little trembles of occasional sincerity of truth or fear. 

The fight was getting more intense now, and Mulder felt his breath bind tight in his chest, his heart racing as if he were a participant instead of merely an observer. A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead and stuck his shirt to his back, even though it was quite cool in the warehouse. He swallowed hard, as hard as the erection currently growing behind his zipper. This _fight_ was proving to be quite stimulating in a most unexpected way. Unexpected because Mulder had never been particularly turned on by violence unless it was his own. 

This man who was Not-Alex was quite a stimulating sight himself. Both of the combatants had thrown off their coats at some point, but Mulder gave the other man only a cursory glance, just enough to be able to pick him out of a lineup. Cory Raines, on the other hand, was catalogued as minutely as possible from such a distance. The black leather pants molded his shape so closely that Mulder wondered how he could breathe much less move with such agility. The silk shirt was damp now, clinging to the muscular chest and broad back. Short strands of shining dark hair fell onto his forehead, and his face flushed with inner fire. 

Mulder's gaze drifted back down to those leather pants and thought, 'What a body this guy has! You could bounce a quarter off that ass.' He laughed in the privacy of his own mind. 'I wonder if he'd let me try it. Without the pants, of course.' He was immediately swamped with shame for having such a thought, then defiance burned away the shame. Why shouldn't he think about Cory Raines or any other man like that? It's not like he was in a committed relationship with anyone, female or male. If he admitted it to himself, Cory wasn't the first guy to attract Mulder's sexual attention, but he looked just like him. But Mulder rarely allowed himself the luxury of such an admission, even in the secret retreat of the quiet places inside him. 'Damn Alex Krycek. This is all his fault. It's just a momentary aberration. I'm still the same, right? Right...' 

Mulder was jolted from his inappropriate musings by an agonized shout. He focused again on the fight and witnessed Raines pulling his sword from the other man's chest. Mulder then had to wonder why he hadn't tried to break up the fight before it got to this point. He'd been too mesmerized by Cory, he admitted with disgust. He felt another hot wash of shame and a heavy dose of guilt for not trying sooner to save the unidentified man's life. He stepped around the crates, intent on arresting Raines when a shocking thing happened. 

Mulder's jaw dropped as Cory drew back his sword and swung it with all his might at the man's neck, neatly severing his head from his body. The head hit the concrete floor with a dull thunk, and the body followed almost soundlessly. Fine wisps of white mist drifted out of the headless body, rising and circling Cory who, apparently, had just noticed Mulder's presence. As he stood there, chest heaving, eyes glistening in the dim amber light, Cory shook his head at Mulder and gasped, "Stay back. Get out..." Mulder was not surprised at the fear in the young face, but he was taken aback by the haunted resignation in the suddenly old eyes. 

Mulder took a couple of steps forward, but stopped as the first lightning bolt hit the young man full in the chest. As the agent continued to stare in disbelieving wonder, more bolts struck as tendrils of the milky fog continued to rise, caressing and skittering over Cory, surrounding him in a glowing embrace. His back arched into an impossibly deep curve, as his feet briefly left the ground. His legs collapsed under him, dropping him to his knees. And although Cory groaned in what sounded like agony, Mulder thought it was one of the most erotic things he'd ever seen. 

Out of nowhere, a sudden fierce wind whipped around the corpse, buffeting his killer and Mulder as it spiraled outward, flinging trash and tossing boxes around. Bolts of energy arced between the kneeling Cory and the body on the ground, a few splintering off to shatter the few windows that remained unbroken. Cory's arms flung out as his body jerked like a marionette in the hands of a child. His head tilted back in a nerve-shattering scream that tightened Mulder's gut in sympathy pangs. Although Mulder remained unbearably aroused by the incredible display of power, he couldn't help but take note of all the details for the report he would certainly be filling out later. He wondered for a moment if he would have two corpses to examine because he didn't see how anyone could survive the onslaught of pure energy that was assaulting Cory from all sides. 

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. The wind died, the lightning stopped, and Cory settled back on his butt. Cautiously, Mulder walked closer, but Cory didn't attempt to run. He continued to sit on the dirty floor, shivering and breathing deeply. Mulder squatted to get a better look at the corpse, amazed at the lack of blood. A decapitation should have geysered blood everywhere. He gingerly reached one hand out, then jerked it back as the carcass started to dissolve before his very eyes. Scooting back a couple of feet, he watched carefully for the green ooze or black oil that would signal an alien life form, but neither appeared. In mere seconds, nothing was left of the large man but a greasy pile of ashes, held in their body-shape by jeans and a flannel shirt. Mulder took rubber gloves and an evidence bag from his coat pocket and scooped up a good-sized sample from inside the shirt for Scully to work her forensic magic on later. He filled another bag from the small pile that used to be a head. 

Tucking his evidence safely away, Mulder turned to arrest Raines for murder. The look on his face stopped Mulder in his tracks. The fear was gone, replaced by an intent expression. Cory was staring at him, unblinking, with a half-smile tilting his mouth. Mulder's gaze drifted over the man sprawled so wantonly on the floor, taking note of the impressive erection pushing against the front of his pants, which must have been excruciatingly painful now. 

"You know I have to take you in now, don't you? You have to explain exactly what happened here." He dug around his pockets until he found his cell phone. "I'm going to call for a crime team to—" 

"Won't work." Cory interrupted. 

"What?" Mulder punched a few buttons, and got no response. He sighed and muttered peevishly, "That's just great. I don't believe this. They are never going to replace this, even if I do get all the forms filled out right. It's perfectly fine to spend billions on secret research but ask for a new phone or, heaven forbid, a new flashlight and suddenly I'm personally bankrupting the U.S. government." He glanced over that the man he'd almost forgotten in his irritation and asked, "What did you do to my phone?" 

"The Quickening fried the circuits. You shouldn't have been so close." As he gracefully rose to his feet, he grinned in a way that made Mulder's stomach quiver. "You shouldn't have followed us, Agent Mulder. You had no idea what you were getting into. I should probably kill you to protect the secret, but I'm not really a cold-blooded murderer. No one would believe you if you told them the whole truth, if you knew the whole truth, that is." 

Mulder barked a derisive laugh, "That's the story of my life. Quickening...is that what you call what just happened to you? What _did_ just happen here?" 

Raines walked closer and spoke practical words that sounded intimate in that low smoky voice. "Look, Agent Mulder, we need to get out of here. The exploding glass just may have attracted some attention. I doubt it in this neighborhood, but better safe than sorry, right? We can go to my hotel and talk. Why bring the authorities into it until you get the whole story, right?" 

Mulder nodded mutely as Cory picked up his coat. Although he knew he should be horrified, he watched in fascination as Cory nonchalantly cleaned off his sword with the dead man's shirt then slipped it into a hidden sheath inside his coat. When he turned to walk out of the building, Mulder could see no trace of the weapon inside his clothes. He stood silently, watched Cory's fluid stride and pondered the puzzle of the cleverly concealed sword. 

Cory stopped suddenly and spun around as if he had just realized he was alone. Motioning at Mulder with one hand, he said, "Come on, man. Let's go. I need some relief and I'd rather not get it here." 

"Relief?" Mulder asked, hurrying to catch up. At Cory's raised brow and wry smile, Mulder noticed the still prominent bulge in Cory's pants before he whipped his coat closed around himself. "Oh. What do—? Do you take care of it yourself?" 

"Why? Are you offering?" 

"No! I just wondered if you had a wife or girlfriend, and what she would think about what just happened... what you did." Mulder followed Cory through the broken door, and out into the night that had fallen while he'd been too preoccupied to notice. 

"Nope, no lover at the moment. Are you sure you're not offering? Because while jerking off is more efficient, it's not nearly as much fun." Mulder watched Cory smooth his hair back and straighten his clothes as they walked, but the energy crackling around him didn't appear to lessen. 

Finally, after several minutes of walking though alleyways and side streets, Mulder's curiosity won out over his patience and he said. "What are you, anyway?" 

"Horny? Bisexual? Hungry? A Scorpio? That's a rather broad question Agent Mulder. I am many things." 

"You know exactly what I mean. What happened back in that warehouse?" 

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." 

"This is not an episode of Get Smart, and you said you weren't a killer." 

Cory laughed loudly enough to startle the people they passed waiting at a bus stop. "Do you believe everything you hear?" 

"Not by a long shot," Mulder assured him sardonically. 

"Well, what I will tell you will be very difficult to believe. And I'm still not sure how convincing I want to be. It's better for me and everyone else if you _don't_ believe me." 

Mulder considered the other man for a moment. He knew that the most effective way to lie was to tell the truth in such a way that it couldn't or wouldn't be believed. Or to tell the person exactly what they wanted to hear. He had bitter experience with both of those, and many other types of lies. He could probably write a book on the subject by now. 

Now they'd reached the street where they'd started, and Cory turned to Mulder and said, "How'd you get here?" 

"Rental." He jerked a thumb toward a parking lot down the street. "It's maybe half a block that way." 

"Okay, you can drive," announced Cory with an air of authority Mulder chose to ignore. "What were you doing in this neighborhood anyway?" 

"Interviewing a witness. Where were you going dressed like _that_?" Mulder's gaze slid down the leather-clad legs currently eating up the sidewalk with long strides. The tension radiating from the man's body was incredible, even though he spoke in a tone of voice just a shade huskier than before the Quickening. 

"I was going to see someone, then to a club later. But it wasn't anything that can't wait." 

"I thought you said you didn't have a lover," said Mulder quickly, then snapped his mouth shut and turned his head. He was dismayed at the thread of jealousy that stitched through him. 'Why should I care what Cory Raines does? Or who he does it with? I don't, of course. Of course, not. He's nothing personal to me, just another possible X-file.' 

"No, I don't." Cory smiled easily, but his eyebrows were arched in a silent question. 

"The way you're dressed..." Mulder trailed off as he got out his car keys to unlock the doors. 

"You like it?" Cory swung his coat open to further reveal his apparel, and cocked a hip to one side. He ran a hand down his silk covered chest and continued, "Picked the shirt up in Rome, last time I was there. The pants were a gift from an old friend who underwent a radical lifestyle change, but that's a long story and I'm sure you're not interested." 

The pose was playfully seductive, drawing Mulder's eyes right to where he was sure they were supposed to be. He couldn't help but notice that Cory's erection had barely faded during their walk. But despite the easy smiles and banter, those green eyes radiated a fine intensity. The energy and tension were almost palpable around him. 

As they climbed into the rental car, Mulder shook his head slightly and forced his mind back to the questions he wanted to ask. But first he needed to know where to go. "Which way?" 

"Turn left, then right at the light. You know how to get back downtown?" 

"Yeah, I think so." 

"I'm at the Westin Hermitage on Sixth Avenue North." Cory fidgeted in his seat, one foot tapping convulsively against the floorboard. 

Mulder shook his head and said, "You'll have to give me directions." 

"Sure. Follow this street for awhile. I'll tell you where to turn." 

Mulder drove for several minutes, following whatever instructions he was given. After Cory told him he needed to make a stop, Mulder said, "Fine, but when are you going to answer my questions? Tell me something, anything, damn it." 

Cory turned from his perusal of the passing buildings and said seriously, "I'm an Immortal. Pull over up here and stay in the car. I'll be right back out." 

Mulder pulled the car over and stammered, "You're what?" 

"You heard me." Cory hopped out of the car and tapped on the roof with a jaunty, "Be right back." 

Mulder watched as he pulled a bulging manila envelope from inside his coat, and headed up the broad steps of the building, stopping to exchange pleasantries with several men sitting and standing along the sides. The men seemed to call him by name, and looked pleased to see him. 

Ducking his head to look through the passenger window and take in the entire structure, Mulder was surprised to find he was parked in front of the Union Rescue Mission. 'Now what would Raines be doing at a homeless shelter? Yet another question for the mysterious "immortal". Immortal, huh? Well that's rather vague. But easy enough to test. I can just kill him and see if he dies.' 

Cheered by the thought of killing Alex Krycek's doppelganger, Mulder smiled slightly as Cory got back in the car, and directed him to the hotel. 

Leaving the car in the parking garage, Mulder followed Raines out onto the sidewalk and up to the front of the hotel. As Cory led him quickly through the lobby, Mulder looked around curiously at the quiet opulence of marble and stained glass. He wondered what Raines did for a living that would take him from an almost-abandoned industrial area to a mission then to a hotel like this one, all in the same day. Mulder held his questions in the elevator, where he pretended not to notice that Cory was squirming and fidgeting as if his clothing were suddenly filled with ants. He kept his silence on the walk down the long hallway, while he ignored the furtive glances Cory was casting at his body. 

When Cory unlocked the door and motioned for Mulder to enter, he found himself in a living room with a spacious work desk in one corner and a wet bar area complete with refrigerator in another. The suite was tastefully decorated in a mix of contemporary furnishings and antique reproductions with the warm ambience of a real home. He'd barely glanced toward the open bedroom door when Cory shut and locked the door and pulled Mulder toward him. He stripped off Mulder's trench coat and jacket, tossing them haphazardly toward a chair. 

In the second before he was slammed against the door, Mulder noticed the young man had also removed his own coat revealing that his earlier erection had returned full force. Raines pushed into him, rubbing their hips together and moving his face so close that Mulder was sure he was going to kiss him. 

"I need something, Agent Mulder," Cory spoke low against his cheek. "And you want something." 

"What?" Mulder had a pretty good idea exactly what he meant, but was interested to see how Cory would say it. 

"Fox, Fox, Fox..." Cory chidingly shook his head, inadvertently brushing his lips across Mulder's cheek. Mulder could feel a blush rising to meet those teasing lips. "Don't play dumb. It doesn't suit you. You know exactly what I need. I need...relief— release from the fire burning up my veins. I haven't taken all that many heads so I've never grown accustomed to the after-effects of the Quickening. The energy is beating me up from the inside, trying to get out." 

Mulder tried to speak soothingly to the man pinning him against the door. "You seemed to be doing okay, like you had it under control, a little while ago." He drew in a deep breath, and the warm musky scent of aroused male filled his head, and sent his own blood surging through his veins and settling in his groin. His voice caught slightly as he continued, "In the car and when we stopped at the mission, you seemed...in control. Back to normal." 

"I was fighting it, fighting him. I didn't want his head. I don't play the Game." Cory leaned his face into Mulder's, rubbing his jaw along the bewildered agent's, then whispered into his ear. "I was fighting it so _hard_...Fox." 

Mulder shifted his feet and pulled his hips away, harder against the door. The other man's nearness, his need, and intensity aroused him. But mostly it was the cat-like way Cory rubbed his body along Mulder's that hardened his cock and set his heart to racing. The little thrill of fear that crept up his spine was almost unnoticed in the onslaught of other sensations. They'd talked about Cory's control, but Mulder needed to take some of his own. He tried to repress his physical reactions in order to get command over the situation. 

"Look, Raines. Why don't you back off so we can talk about this?" Mulder spoke in his authoritative agent voice, but the other man seemed unfazed, nuzzling Mulder's neck while his hips followed after Mulder's as he tried to shift away. "I said, back off." 

Mulder got his hands up between Cory's arms and pushed outward, breaking the hold. Cory raised his head with a surprised look in his eyes, and said, "I thought you wanted answers." 

"What, you won't answer my questions unless I get you off? No way. Yes, I want answers, but not like that. _I'm_ not like that." 

"The boner drilling into my thigh says differently, sweet thing. You're turned on too." His voice turned pleading and Mulder could read frustration clearly in every line of his face. "Come on, Fox, just help me. Please? I'm in too much pain to talk now." 

"I..." Mulder swallowed hard, and tried again, "I...I can't. I don't...know...I've never..." 

"You don't have to do much of anything. Just hold me while I take care of it. Please." 

Mulder cursed himself for being a weak fool, cursed Cory for being needy and persuasive, and cursed Alex Krycek for living. He told himself that he would be able to resist Cory if he wasn't a dead ringer for Krycek, the one man who stirred up more emotion in Mulder than anyone on the planet. The man who had awakened these deviant feelings in him in the first place, not so many years ago. Unable to speak the word that would place responsibility on his own shoulders, he nodded at Cory. 

"Put your arms around me," whispered Cory moving against him once more. Mulder could feel the other man's hand between their bodies, undoing their belts and flies. He didn't help, but stood quietly, arms wrapped loosely about Cory's middle. Once he had their trousers open, shirts shoved up, and genitals exposed, Cory moved one of Mulder's hands down to his backside. Mulder's fingers tightened involuntarily over the slick leather, drawing a low moan from the man currently pressing him into the door. 

Mulder spread his legs to improve his balance, and Cory immediately took advantage, shoving the agent's pants down and slipping one hand between his thighs. The lithe fingers instinctively found his most sensitive spots, as the other hand cupped their erections together. Cory thrust his face into the spot where Mulder's neck met his shoulder, rubbing his cheek against the stiff collar of his dress shirt. Grinding the two hard cocks together, Cory drove his pelvis into the squirming agent, over and over, hard and fast. Biting his lip to hold back a moan, Mulder braced his shoulders against the hard wood and pushed into the other man's grip. Just that little bit of active participation pushed Cory over the edge, and Mulder tightened his arms around the shaking, groaning man. 

As Cory pulled away with a smile, Mulder tried to return the gesture, but suspected it looked more like a grimace of pain. He was still hard, and somewhat confused at his disappointment that he didn't climax. He hadn't wanted this anyway, so he should be glad that he didn't come. His frustration somehow confirmed his feelings that he was innocent in the act. He was still straight. Having feelings or fantasies about other men was one thing, but acting on them was a commitment he wasn't ready to make. He didn't think he was ready, although the aching flesh straining toward the promise of completion in Cory's body made him wonder. 

Cory looked at Mulder's erection and said, "Oh, good. You didn't come yet." 

Mulder blinked then squinted and asked, "Why's that good?" His earlier feeling of self-righteous sexual martyrdom was completely forgotten in a rush of annoyed confusion. 

"'Cause I'm not done yet," replied Cory, as if the answer should be completely obvious. And, once Mulder got the nerve to look at Cory's crotch, he could see that it was obvious. The man was hard as rock and ready to go again. 

Mulder jerked his gaze back up to Cory's face just as the dark haired man pulled him across the room toward the bedroom. Mulder tried to dig in his heels, but his pants had fallen to his ankles, effectively shackling his feet together. The holster clipped to his waistband bumped against his calf with every stumbling step, and he figured if he could get his arms free long enough he could get his gun and put a stop to this. He jerked and twisted his arms, resisting the strong grip on his wrists, but Cory didn't seem to even notice his struggle, just continued towing him through the doorway and over to the bed. 

Taking a deep calming breath, Mulder managed to speak in a reasonable voice that was only a bit higher than usual. "Look, you've had your relief, so turn me loose so I can pull up my pants and we can talk." 

"I still need you, Fox." Cory waved a hand at his aroused body. "Can't you see that? It'll be good. I'll take care of you this time." 

Mulder gritted his teeth as Cory pushed him down on the bed, flipping him onto his stomach. He twisted his body around and kicked his feet as Cory took off his shoes and socks. Grabbing his pants before they could be removed too, Mulder tried one more time to be reasonable, "I don't want you to take care of me. I'm not gay, damn it." 

"At this point, I don't care much what you are. I just want to fuck you." Puffing out a gusty sigh, Cory flopped down onto the bed beside Mulder. "I'm not gonna rape you or anything. If you _really_ don't want to do it, I'll just have to take care of it myself." 

"I'm not..." sighed Mulder, standing to adjust his clothes. He bit off a bitter laugh, and said, "Hell. I don't know what I am anymore. I thought I knew. I did know before Alex Krycek came along." 

"That's the guy you're looking for? The guy you mistook me for?" 

Mulder wandered over to the window, and looked across the plaza at the bright glow of the floodlit state capitol building. "Yeah, we, uh, once worked together very briefly." 

"He was an FBI agent, too? _And_ he killed your father?" Mulder turned from the window and saw Cory watching him now with an intrigued gleam in his eye, and his arousal seemed to be, if not forgotten, at least momentarily ignored as his attention focused on something else besides his own body for the moment. 

"Yeah, the son-of-a-bitch betrayed me, and he killed my father and was most likely there when Scully's sister was murdered." 

"Who's Scully?" 

"She's my partner. My _real_ partner. They may have closed down the X-Files and forced me to work a case or two with Krycek, but _Scully_ was always my partner. She— Wait. Why am I telling you all this?" Shaking his head, Mulder looked down at the floor, then up again with a faint smile. "Always the scientist looking for a rational explanation, she would _not_ believe a word of your story. Or anything I've seen today. I can guarantee it." 

"That's okay. _She_ doesn't have to believe." Cory winked, but was serious when he asked curiously, "So what are X Files?" 

"That's the division of the FBI Scully and I work for— a division of _two_ hidden away in a basement office where they can pretend we don't exist...when they're not trying to destroy my work, that is," explained Mulder, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice. 

"Who are _they_? And what do you do that they'd want to keep you hidden away?" 

" _They_ are the men who really run this country— hell, the _world_ — with their shadow governments and assassins and secrets that even _you_ wouldn't believe. We investigate paranormal phenomena, alien abductions, government conspiracies, the unexplained... While I'm sure you can imagine how popular that makes us with the rest of the Bureau, you can also see why I haven't carted you off to the nearest psychiatric hospital." 

Cory grinned and said, "Yeah, thanks for not doing that. Do you have an X File about us? About Immortals?" 

"I haven't come across one, but I lost a lot of files in a fire last year. All that was saved is what had been transferred to computer disk and taken off-site." 

"Are you gonna start one?" 

Mulder looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. 

"Stupid question. Just... could you please leave my name out of it?" When Mulder shrugged noncommittally, Cory nodded, as if in resignation, then seeking to change the subject, said, "You know, it, uh... it sounds like an intense relationship with you have with this Scully woman, kind of 'us against the world'. So how come you're so worked up over this Krycek fellow?" 

"Because much as I love her as a friend, Scully doesn't get under my skin like he does. His is the face I see in my dreams and nightmares. One of them." 

Cory nodded. "Ah, I see. So when—" 

Mulder's head came up quickly, and he cut off whatever Cory had started to say. "Scully! I forgot all about her. I have to call her. With my cell phone dead, she can't keep tabs on me. She's sure to be worried about me by now." 

"Why? Have you been gone that long?" 

Reaching for the bedside phone, Mulder shrugged sheepishly, and said, "No, but she knows me." 

Punching in her cell number was so second nature that Mulder never took his eyes off Cory. Wondering how he could explain this situation without sounding completely nuts, he turned away as his partner answered and said, "Scully, it's me... I'm fine, but my cell phone isn't... no, just a little electrical malfunction...Yes, I know how many this makes... Yes, I know how many forms that will be... That's part of why I'm calling. I ran— Yes, I got the statement, but I ran into another case... Well, I'm still not sure and I can't really go into it right now... No, there're are no bugs or entomologists involved... No, I don't— No, no aliens either. I don't think so anyway... Look, I'll explain everything later... Meet you back at the hotel... I don't know how long this will take... Yes. Yes, I will. Bye." 

Replacing the receiver gently in its cradle, Mulder glanced over his shoulder at Raines who had, in the brief moments of the phone call, stripped naked and sprawled comfortably across a large portion of the queen size bed. Mulder's eyes widened a bit at the sight of long tanned fingers wrapped around what had to be a good eight or eight and half inches of steely, uncut, blood flushed penis. It wasn't his first glimpse of Cory's cock, but it was the first time the view had been unencumbered by the distraction of clothing or Mulder's own churning feelings of shock, confusion, and arousal. The man's naked body was a work of art, not regular modern art, but a Renaissance nude worthy of Michelangelo's hand. The rippled abs and smooth hard slabs of pectorals; the sinewy vein-sculptured arms flexing; gracefully strong hands stroking his rigid flesh; the long muscular legs shifting and bending; satin skin glowing golden in the light of the bedside lamp... the symmetry of a well-built human machine. It was a dazzling display of stark beauty, and, as it brought his own arousal back full force, Mulder couldn't help but wonder if was calculated to do just that. If so, it worked amazingly well for a man who claimed to have no interest in same-sex relationships. 

The body may have been awe-inspiring, but it was Cory's face that brought Mulder down to sit on the bed. Eyes, heavy lidded and dilated, stared sightlessly into the middle distance above rosy, sweat-dampened cheeks. The mouth that had struck Mulder as so unlike Krycek's dropped open on a gasp. White teeth gleamed and a tongue darted out to wet the lips so flushed and swollen in passion. Mulder's gaze drifted down to Cory's neck, which arched back at an impossible angle, tendons standing out in sharp relief. His Adam's apple bobbed with each sobbing breath in rhythm with his fiercely pumping hand. 

His own breath stifled in his throat, Mulder raised a shaky hand to Cory's face, skating his fingers through the crystal droplets of sweat that flowed in gleaming leisure from temple to jaw. The incredible unexpected intimacy of the act made his gut clench and his chest tighten painfully. When the wrong name formed soundlessly on his lips, Mulder pulled his hand away, shaken but glad that Cory had already closed his eyes. 

Mulder stood and walked out of the room as a long, low moan sounded behind him. His teeth clenched as he listened to the sounds of another man's orgasm, a sound he'd previously only heard in his videos. 

After the quiet notes of solitary ecstasy died away, silence reigned for several minutes. 'Afterglow' Mulder snorted to himself. 'I'm not jealous. I'm not. What the hell is wrong with me? ' He considered his disheveled reflection in the wide mirror on the wall over the sofa. Slowly unfurling his hands from the tight fists they'd formed, he raked his fingers through his hair, smoothing the short spiky strands. He avoided looking into his own eyes, afraid of what he might see. He had thought he knew himself as well as anyone else, failures and strengths and the dark places that unsettled him when he was brave enough to acknowledge them. But now he wasn't so sure of himself or his self-awareness. 

It all began and ended with Alex Krycek. Krycek was at the center of the storm brewing inside him. Mulder had known the younger man would cause him trouble as soon as he'd introduced himself and said, so insistent and sincere, "It's my case, Agent Mulder." Now, years later, the extent of that trouble was just becoming clear to him. As if the betrayals and lies hadn't been enough, he was actually questioning his sexuality, one of the most basic components of his makeup. 

The sound of a throat clearing scattered his thoughts. He dragged his gaze away from the mirror where it hadn't registered anything for several minutes anyway, and glanced at the door to the bedroom. Cory stood propped against the doorframe wearing a terry bathrobe and a small smile. 

"I'm going to take a shower. Why don't you call down and order room service? Whatever sounds good to you is fine with me." Rubbing a hand wearily over his face, Cory sighed and said, "We can talk over dinner. You can ask me all your infernal questions." 

With a small nod, Mulder walked over to the desk and picked up a menu, determined not to show that Cory's secrets had been the farthest thing from his mind. As soon as he heard the shower start, he went into the bedroom and got his socks and shoes. Putting them back on settled him somewhat. He didn't feel quite so vulnerable. 

Fifteen minutes later, Cory came into the living room and headed straight for the bar. His hair was still damp and his feet were bare, but Mulder was relieved to see he'd dressed in soft faded jeans and a white cotton shirt. Although the unbuttoned and untucked shirt framed the artwork of his chest, belly, and crotch, it wasn't quite the distraction the bathrobe would have been with its effortless access to the forbidden. 

"Dinner should be here soon. I ordered you a steak, figured you could use the protein." 

Cory laughed and said, "True enough, Agent Mulder. Would you like a glass of wine? I have a fantastic Merlot that I picked up in Australia from Rosemount, which is an amazing vineyard and a recent favorite of mine." 

As he took the offered goblet, Mulder felt vaguely silly for trying to avoid touching Cory's fingers, but he did it just the same. The subtle tension in 

the room was enough to deal with right now without adding more physical awareness. He took a quick sip of the robust red wine and smiled slightly, "It's good. Thanks." 

"My pleasure." Cory drank from his own glass slowly, savoring every drop. Mulder almost groaned at the unselfconscious sensuality of the simple act. He shook his head and started to ask a question, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. 

His frustration must have been evident on his face, because Cory grinned as he went to answer the door. 

After the waiter had gone, the two men sat down to eat and after a couple of minutes Cory spoke. "Where should I start? That's always the hard part, not that I've actually done this, but I have thought about it a few times over the years." 

"Start at the beginning. What _are_ you? You said you're immortal, but that's a rather general term. Are you a vampire, werewolf, alien, what?" 

"Obviously not a vampire," cracked Cory, popping a succulent piece of steak in his mouth and chewing with gusto. He followed that with several bites of baked potato, steamed broccoli and salad before giving Mulder a more definitive answer. 

Having little appetite, Mulder nibbled at his pasta mostly to have something to do. The food was tasty and the wine was good, but his emotional state wouldn't allow him to relax and enjoy the meal until he got some answers. What the questions actually were remained open for debate. He'd come here to learn about Cory Raines and his claim of immortality, but he had the uncomfortable feeling he might learn at least as much about himself as the other man. 

"I'm an Immortal. That's all I know of that we're called." Cory picked up the wine bottle and refilled their glasses. Between bites, he continued, "I do _not_ drink blood, turn into an animal during a full moon, or as far as I know, come from a distant planet. I also can't fly or leap tall buildings in a single bound." 

"What do you mean, you're not an alien as far as you know? Don't you know where you were born?" 

"Yes, Tutbury, England in 1256. But I don't know who my parents were. None of us do. We're all foundlings." 

"1256? That would make you 743 years old." 

"Yes, it does. I'm impressed with your math skills." 

"Prove it." 

"How? Show you my birth certificate, my driver's license? Tell you something that only I and a couple hundred thousand medieval history buffs would know?" 

"I see your point. So if you're over seven hundred years old, how come you look like you're about thirty? Do you have to eat three livers then hibernate for seventy years?" 

"My first death was in 1285, just before I turned twenty-nine. We don't age after first death. And I detest liver. What an odd question." 

"I've seen some odd things. There are other Immortals?" Mulder shoved his plate away slightly and pinned Cory with a look. "How many? A few scattered mutants or an entire race? Where are they? The guy in the warehouse was immortal too? Is he going to come back from being a pile of ashes?" 

Smiling indulgently, Cory ticked off the answers on his fingers, "Yes, there are others. No one knows how many for sure, but I think there are a lot. We're everywhere I guess. Our nature and that of the Game make a great deal of travelling necessary, or at least advisable. Yes, that guy was Immortal, but he won't be coming back. You see, while we don't age or get sick, we can die, but only beheading makes it permanent." 

"So, if I pulled out my gun and shot you right now, you'd what? Just wake up from it?" 

"Yeah, that's about the size of it, but please don't. The pain, the noise, the bloodstains and bullet holes... it's just not worth the trouble." 

"Well, you've got to prove it somehow. I'm not going to just take your word for it," said Mulder reasonably. 

"Oh, all right. But let's go to the bathroom so we don't make a mess that could be hard to explain to the chambermaid." Draining the last of the wine from his glass, Cory shoved his chair back and stood. Leading the way to the bathroom, he stopped by the bar and picked up a small knife that was lying by a big bowl of fruit. 

Standing in the casual intimacy of the bathroom, Cory took off his shirt and hung it from the doorknob. Mulder tried to keep his attention on the subject at hand, but all that bare skin so near tempted him to touch. He manfully ignored the temptation as Cory told him to watch carefully, then held his arm over the sink and carefully sliced open a vein with the sharp knife. Crimson blood splashed against snowy porcelain for just a second, before slowing to a trickle as small blue streamers of electricity coursed over the wound. Mulder grabbed Cory's arm as the injury healed right before his eyes, leaving no scar or any other trace that the skin had ever been damaged. 

Mulder poked and prodded the flawless skin, then brought his blood-covered fingertips up to his face. He rubbed them together and sniffed at the traces. It certainly seemed like real blood to him. 

"Are you convinced?" 

"I'd still like to see you die and come back before I really believe," Mulder replied hopefully. 

Cory laughed and shook his head. "No. No more parlor tricks." He slipped his shirt back on. "I'm not a trained seal, you know." 

"That's not what it looked like before—" Mulder cut himself off with an abrupt snap of his teeth. He could feel a blush rising to his face and looked away in the vain hope of concealing it. 

"Glad you enjoyed the show. I'm not sure I was aware that you were still in the room. I just had to... Well, it's one of those things, isn't it? Come on, we'll go drink and talk some more." Cory smiled and touched Mulder's arm lightly. "Come on. I won't try to jump you again." 

"Yeah? I would appreciate that very much," said Mulder with a wry half-smile. 'I'll bet Krycek wouldn't show such consideration. ' Mulder added to himself as they returned to the living room and settled down with fresh glasses of wine. 

"I wish you could appreciate my restraint. You're quite attractive... _nearly_ irresistible. I hope your guy knows what he's giving up." 

"I don't have a guy. So how does one become an Immortal? Are you born that way or is there a ritual involved in which anyone can become one?" 

"Ah, I get it. Sorry to overstep. How do you become immortal? Simple. You die and then wake up again. If you're lucky, the first Immortal you come across will explain things to you and be a teacher, instead of just taking your head. We're born with the predisposition, I guess you could call it. But you can get sick or hurt. Sicknesses aren't as severe, and injuries tend to heal quicker, but they happen just like for any other normal person. Then one day you get killed—hung, shot, stabbed, run over by a car, whatever and a little while later you revive and scare whoever's close by into a heart attack. Especially if you'd already been buried and have clawed your way out of the dirt. Or worse, have to wait for a passing Immortal to pick up your Presence and dig you out." 

"I can imagine," replied Mulder softly, considering the possibilities. "What's presence?" 

"It's an alert that another Immortal is close by—a feeling, a not-quite sound felt in the base of the brain. Sort of a buzz. It's not easy to describe. It just _is_ ," replied Cory with a shrug. 

"All right, so what's with chopping off that guy's head? You said you didn't want to do it, but he seemed pretty determined to do it to you." 

Sipping his wine, Cory nodded as if he'd expected the question sooner. "It's called the Game. Immortals—most, anyway— have some, I don't know, genetic imperative to cut off each other's heads. I think it's ridiculous, but if I'm challenged and can't get out of it, I will fight back, and I will win. At least, I have so far. I don't fight often, but I keep in practice so that when I do... Today's was the first Quickening I'd taken in a long while." 

"Yes, the Quickening. A transfer of the other person's energy or life force, right? Do you get their personality traits, their skills or talents, their memories?" 

"No, not really. It's more, like you said, energy. It varies from person to person, of course, so I can only speak for myself. It's like getting bombarded with every emotion the person ever felt, all at once. It hurts and feels good at the same time. Like having an orgasm while having your guts ripped out. It's very intense, and some folks get addicted to the pleasure, the _power_... Not me." 

"Not even the... uh... aftereffects?" 

"No. I can get aroused the old fashioned way." Cory grinned lecherously at Mulder and tipped his glass in a jaunty salute. "In fact, I prefer it. So why don't you come over here and give it a try?" 

"You said you wouldn't do that," Mulder reminded him. 

"No, I said I wouldn't jump you. I never said you couldn't jump me, right? Are you married? Got a girlfriend or boyfriend? Oh, right. I forgot. You don't go for guys. Except me and the guy whose name you whispered earlier...Alex?" 

Mulder felt his face go pale. He hadn't thought he'd said that name out loud. In any event, Cory'd been so caught up in his pleasure at the time that Mulder wouldn't have expected him to hear the building falling down around them, much less a whisper. 

"Fox, are you all right?" 

"Um, yeah. I..." Mulder cleared his throat and took a gulp of his wine. 

After a couple of seconds that lasted eons for Mulder, Cory spoke abruptly in a determinedly friendly tone. "You know what? I was here when this Hotel opened in 1910. The rooms were advertised as fireproof, noiseproof, and dustproof." He winked and said slyly, "Thanks to a particularly friendly chambermaid, I can only personally vouch for noiseproof." 

When Mulder only nodded blankly, Cory continued, "The rooms also had hot and cold circulating water that had been distilled to avoid typhoid. That was quite a luxury, I can tell you." 

Mulder almost sighed in relief as he found something external he could finally focus on. "Typhoid wouldn't have affected you if you're really immortal." 

"True, but that doesn't mean I'm indifferent to the suffering that mortals go through because of it or other diseases. In the last seven hundred years, I have seen way too many epidemics. It doesn't break my heart anymore, but I'm not unaffected by it." Cory propped his bare feet on the edge of the glass coffee table, and settled a little deeper into the overstuffed burgundy cushions of the sofa. From under his lush dark lashes, he glanced at Mulder, who sat a foot or so away in the matching chair watching him carefully. "So tell me about him. You know you want to. It's eating you up inside." 

Mulder felt his earlier relief evaporate under the heat of that sensual green stare. He considered just telling the guy to mind his own business, but he found himself saying, "His name is Alex Krycek, and if not for the arm you could be him. You look almost identical to the man he was four or five years ago. The last years have changed him considerably, but the similarities are still eerie..." 

"What's the deal with the arm? I noticed the look on your face when you grabbed my wrist. This guy lose an arm or something?" 

"Yeah, in... in Russia." Mulder swallowed the last of his wine, and set the glass on the table with a firm little click that signaled his displeasure with the topic. "So what happens if an Immortal loses a limb? Does it grow back?" 

"I don't know, and I'm in no hurry to find out. I've seen a couple of Immortals lose a body part, but their heads followed so soon after that healing didn't have time to even _start_ , if it was going to happen. Tell me more about your Alex." 

"He's not _my_... He was an agent and we worked a couple of cases together, then I found out he had a hand in Scully's abduction. He was working for some powerful men who have a secret agenda to either collaborate or rebel against alien forces who... Never mind. Look, Krycek murdered my father, and he's been a constant thorn in my side for years. He's been helpful on occasion, when it suited his own self-interests. I think it bothers me most when he's trying to help my causes. If he would just be an evil villain, he'd be so much easier to hate. I don't hate him near as much as I used to, but I still wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him...which is actually pretty far." Mulder shrugged sheepishly. "I've tried it. I've also tried to shoot him— Scully shot me in the shoulder to stop me— and I've beat him a up a few times...even though he was in handcuffs." 

Cory was watching him with a neutral expression, and Mulder looked him in the eye and frowned thoughtfully. "He never really tries to fight back. I wonder why. He's a pretty strong guy—" Mulder broke off and waved a hand in Cory's direction. "I think he's probably a bit heavier than you are so you can see that he could probably at least make a decent showing if he just tried... Well, there was that one time in my apartment that he took my— well, that's not important." 

"He wants you." It was a simple statement of fact. 

Mulder shook his head. "No. Why would you say that?" 

"I want you, and you said that he and I are the same." 

"But you're not... The two of you _look_ alike, but your personalities are poles apart. The differences are sometimes subtle, but they're unavoidable. I've never seen him smile like you do, open and friendly. You..." Mulder sighed and shrugged his shoulders, uncomfortable with opening up to this stranger with Krycek's face, but unable to stop himself. He spoke to the floor when he said, "You look happy. I've seen him look indignant, earnest, angry, scared, calculating, obsequious, and completely blank, but I've never seen anything to suggest he was happy or even _content_." 

"Why don't you do something about that? Maybe you can make him happy, or at least satisfied. Think about it for a minute. What would make you happy? Now...is that something that you could give him?" 

Breaking off his fascination with the carpet, Mulder looked over at the sofa and saw Alex sitting there with a soft smile. His heart leapt to his throat and his hand made a movement that was quickly aborted when he blinked and saw Cory once more. Rubbing his eyes, he was so tired all of a sudden as the excitement of the evening caught up with him. Evening, hell, the stress of a _lifetime_ seemed to be catching up with him tonight. 

"You just don't understand the magnitude of what we're dealing with here." He shook his head at Cory and said, "I want my sister back. I want to know that the human race will still be here in twenty years. I want the black lunged bastard who ordered Krycek to kill my father and betray me punished for those and the rest of his crimes. I want Krycek punished for what he's done to me, my family, my partner, and her family. And none of that is what Krycek wants." 

"That's all about survival or justice or retribution. What will make you personally happy?" 

"Not being alone anymore. I'm like anyone else, I guess. I want someone to love. Now, do you really think I'm ever going to be happy?" 

"I don't have any answers. I can't give you back what you've lost. But I can tell you that from my perspective you don't have much time on earth. If loving this man will make that time a little easier or, at least more enjoyable, what's wrong with that?" 

Mulder stared at Cory incredulously for a moment then laughed long and hard, bitterness ringing in every note. "What's wrong with that? The man is a criminal! A double-crossing traitorous lying murderer! He wouldn't know how to love someone back if his miserable life depended on it. But I'll bet he could _act_ the part. No thank you. I don't need that kind of misery." 

"Have you ever tried to get his side of the story? Maybe he had reasons for all that he's done. It sounds as if you really don't know Alex Krycek, the _man_. You only know Alex Krycek, the _deeds_. You need to talk to him, get inside his head a little bit before you haul him off to prison." Cory shuddered lightly. "Don't send him to prison unless you're absolutely sure he really deserves it." 

"You've been in prison. When and what for?" 

"Always the G-man, Fox? The one that stands out in my mind is the five years I did for armed robbery at Clarkwell in the 1870's. That was a bad one 'cause I felt I had it coming for a change, but not... not the nightmares... No one deserves those." His voice trailed off then he shook his head, and said, "But I've been incarcerated for a variety of things over the centuries—some I did, some I didn't do." 

"So you're a career criminal with an unbelievably long career? I should probably go ahead and arrest you right now, and save myself the trouble of doing it later." Mulder felt an insane urge to laugh at the absurdity of it all. "Why are you giving me advice on my nonexistent love life? You trying to be an ex-con Dear Abby?" 

"Hey, now there's an idea," laughed Cory, then he sat up straight, leaned closer, and put a hand on the arm of Mulder's chair. "Truthfully, I haven't always had the best of luck with lawmen—especially federal agents. But you... you're all right. You seem like a decent enough fellow. If I can help you out, why shouldn't I?" 

Mulder read the body language and the sparks in Cory's eyes and said abruptly, "You still want to fuck me, don't you?" 

"Yes, I do, but I am sincere in wanting to help you too." Cory moved his hand to Mulder's leg and spoke in low seductive voice, "Think of it as an experiment. If you can't sleep with me, maybe your feelings for this Alex Krycek are not sexual after all. Maybe you are, in fact, completely straight and feel something else for him." 

"Maybe my _feelings_ are for him and not just any male who comes along." 

"Selective homosexuality? I don't know. I suppose it's possible, but all cats are gray in the dark. And this cat is grayer than most, wouldn't you say?" Cory's hand moved lightly back and forth on Mulder's thigh, making his stomach turn flips and his heart beat just a little faster. 

"Has this line worked for you before?" Mulder asked wryly, finding himself unable to take offense. 

"It's not a line! I've got much better ones than that," assured Cory, and Mulder had no trouble believing him. His hand was still stroking Mulder's thigh, and now he leaned in closer until Mulder could almost feel the warm breath on his cheek. "Why don't you come over here and test my theory? It can't hurt, right? I mean, I won't hurt you." 

When Cory stood and took his hand, Mulder found himself standing and moving closer almost before he had decided to do so. Cory took his face between gentle hands and kissed him, tentatively at first, giving him plenty of room to object. Mulder didn't give a thought to resisting; he was too caught up in the incredible sensation of another man's mouth on his. Even during the frantic groping earlier in the evening, Cory hadn't kissed him, hadn't actually pressed his lips to Mulder's. He hadn't licked his lips and shared his breath. He hadn't thrust his tongue between Mulder's teeth, or sucked his lower lip. But Cory made up for those oversights now. 

Mulder suddenly wondered why he'd been fighting this. There was a sense of almost rightness in being with Cory—a feeling of being close to perfect, but not quite there. The brief sensation of Alex Krycek's lips pressed against his cheek rolled through his mind, but he refused to let it take hold. This man kissing him was Not Alex. It was important for him to remember that, if he had any hope of getting through the experience unscathed. 

When Cory wrapped his arms around him, Mulder leaned into the embrace. They were of a height, just as he and Krycek were, and fit surprisingly well in each other's arms. The novelty of hard planes and angles crushed against him instead of soft curves gave way to a burning desire to have all that bare skin he'd seen earlier pressed against his. The kisses got deeper as Mulder stroked one hand over Cory's back, working up the nerve to remove his shirt and thus commit to going farther with a man than he'd ever planned, those fleeting fantasies notwithstanding. 

The crisp cotton over firm muscle teased Mulder's fingertips, and Cory's aftershave made him think of Nantucket for some reason that escaped him. The fresh citrusy scent swirling around his head was a sharp contrast to the leathery musk he associated with Krycek. Krycek smelled of danger, secrets, and smoky rooms where human life was a commodity to be sold and bartered. Mulder tried to tell himself that Cory's light was more appealing than Krycek's darkness, but that darkness called to its mate deep inside Mulder. During one of Alex's whirlwind forays into Mulder's life, he could shake it off and replace it with disgust and anger, but the thrill of discovery, of recognition remained to be faced later in the quiet aftermath. 'Alex, Alex... Why do you have to be who you are? What you are?' 

"Fox..." Cory pulled his mouth off Mulder's and said his name, reminding him exactly whom he was with. Not Alex. He opened his eyes and stared hazily at the man who had just kissed him breathless. Watching him carefully from hooded green eyes, Cory bought a hand up to Mulder's shirt and flicked open two buttons before stopping to ask permission with a quirk of a brow. Mulder nodded and wondered when the other man had removed Mulder's tie. Cory opened three more buttons then pressed kisses down the length of his neck to his newly bared chest. 

With a long sigh, Mulder tipped his head back as Cory nudged his shirt out of the way and latched onto a nipple, sucking and worrying it with sharp teeth. Streamers of fire shot straight down from Mulder's chest through his belly and into his groin, further hardening his growing erection. He was faintly surprised at his body's reactions, that they came so easily. He'd expected to need more coaxing to get from randy thoughts about another guy's body to actually holding that body in his arms and trying to get his hands inside that same guy's pants. The jeans were loose enough for him to slip his fingers into the waistband but it wasn't nearly enough. Feeling a boldness usually reserved for his profession, Mulder brought his hands to the front of Cory's jeans and went to work on the button fly, eliciting a groan of encouragement from the Immortal. 

"Go on, Fox, I won't break," whispered Cory, nipping at Mulder's ear as he hesitated, fingers hovering just over the throbbing flesh he longed to touch. "Just like touching yourself, do what you like to have done to you. Whatever feels good." 

Cory's hand, snaking between their bodies to work open Mulder's pants, completely distracted Mulder from what he'd been about to do. Those quick talented fingers had him half undressed already while he'd been working up his nerve. While Mulder may have had some qualms about touching another man, Cory had no such problem. Stripping off Mulder's shirt with one hand, Cory used the other to take his partner's cock out of the constraining boxerbriefs, the intimate touch sending shivers throughout Mulder's body and one last thrill of fear down his spine. He tamped down the uncertainty, and took off Cory's shirt. Cory took his hand off Mulder's erection and pulled Mulder to him, chest to chest, for a deep kiss. A shock of pleasure curled through Mulder's belly as their naked cocks slid against each other, and he wanted more. 

Mulder slid a hand down the silky planes of Cory's back, pushing the jeans out of the way to reach his backside. He took a moment to be glad that Cory hadn't bothered with underwear, leaving one less physical barrier to overcome. The emotional and mental ones were being breached slowly but surely as Cory kept touching him in ways that felt so different and good. He hadn't really been touched in a long time. He wished someone else were here instead of Cory, but he'd deal with it later— much later, like when he didn't have a man trying to climb inside his skin. 

Several long hot kisses later, Cory slid his lips across Mulder's cheek to his ear and said, "Let's go in the bedroom, so we can do this properly." 

Shaky with arousal, Mulder nodded and allowed himself to be led to the bed, unlike the last time when he was dragged. His apprehension gave way to eagerness he as watched the play of muscle across Cory's back and the way his jeans would dip lower with each step revealing the upper curves of his firm round ass. The Immortal was tanned even _there_ , and considering he didn't look like the tanning bed type, Mulder wondered on which beach he'd recently been lying nude. Maybe he'd ask later, if he had any brain cells left. At the rate they seemed to be melting into a needy puddle, he had to question the possibility. 

When they reached the bed, Cory didn't push him down as he did before. Instead he released Mulder's hand and dropped to his knees, pulling Mulder's shoes, socks, slacks, and shorts off with matter-of-fact swiftness. When he had Mulder completely naked, he grinned and said, "Well, as long as I'm down here..." Then he engulfed Mulder's aching erection in his hot, wet mouth, swallowing most of the length down his open throat. 

Mulder was quite certain he would die of a heart attack before the night was over. Even the heart of a healthy man under forty who got plenty of exercise couldn't possibly withstand the strain of 743 years worth of experience and skill being applied directly to the most sensitive areas of his body. While Cory held Mulder's cock in one hand, he kept the other busy between Mulder's legs, fondling his balls and stroking his perineum with occasional forays even further back that had Mulder shifting his feet wider apart. As Cory's tongue danced teasingly over the head and his hand pumped the shaft, Mulder clenched his fists in Cory's hair and tried desperately not to ram his cock down the other man's throat. 

Mulder was getting very close when Cory pulled back slightly and unwound Mulder's hands from his hair, saying, "Try to relax, Fox." 

"Oh, yeah, as if that's an option. I'm just trying to stay on my feet." 

"You don't have to do that," laughed Cory, and, with a gentle nudge to the chest, he pushed Mulder over onto the bed. Standing and shucking his jeans, Cory quickly followed Mulder to the middle of the bed. Mulder pulled his face down and kissed him for all he was worth. 

"Ah, that's good," gasped Cory as Mulder finally touched his cock. "You sure you haven't done this before?'" 

"This?" Mulder smoothed his fingers down the shaft, tracing lightly over the throbbing veins, then wrapping his fist around the thick cock and giving it a lazy pump or two. "Oh, yeah. I've done _this_ plenty of times, just not to someone else." 

"You're world class, baby. Kiss me again." Mulder was happy to comply, nipping at the luscious mouth and teasing the other man's lips open with his tongue. He examined each tooth by touch and all the dark recesses of his mouth, then moved his lips over Cory's cheek, licking a trail across his jawbone to a perfect pointy ear. He bit the lobe gently then sucked the tender spot below it, watching in fascination as the bruise healed almost as soon as he pulled his mouth away. He did it again and again all along Cory's long sweet throat, drawing low moans from the Immortal. 

Closing his eyes, Cory seemed content to lay back and let Mulder explore for the moment. Mulder took advantage of the opportunity, running his hands all over Cory's body. He discovered the ticklish place behind his knee and the sensitive place at the back of his neck, which he continued to investigate with his mouth. He also discovered that if he sucked at the pulse of Cory's jugular, the man almost came off the bed in ecstasy. In the back of his very agile mind, Mulder catalogued all the responses and wondered if he'd get the same reactions from Alex. It was easy enough to imagine Krycek's moans and murmurs if Mulder licked him right _there_ or stroked his cock with just _this_ amount of pressure. They'd sound like the ones he was gathering from the man in this bed. Sexy little noises that he was hoarding for a lonelier time. 

Mulder had just kissed his way down Cory's chest, and was licking his way across each rib, when Cory suddenly flipped him over onto his back. "This has been great, but it's my turn to play." 

Struck speechless by the emerald fire in Cory's eyes, Mulder nodded and raked his fingers through Cory's hair in a soothing gesture. When his hands drifted down Cory's back, the Immortal arched into the touch like a great big cat, then shook his head, "No, no. _My_ turn. Keep your hands right here—" he moved Mulder's hands to the corners of the bed "—or I'll have to go get your handcuffs. Will I have to do that?" 

"No, I— No," replied Mulder firmly. He already felt extremely vulnerable lying spread-eagled on a stranger's hotel room bed. There was no way he would allow himself to be handcuffed in this situation. It was risky enough just being here, but it felt so good. 'Maybe I should take risks like this more often. Next time with Krycek, possibly?' 

Sighing his surrender, Mulder relaxed against the scratchy soft bedspread that had been warmed by their writhing bodies and prepared to accept whatever Cory wanted to give. He closed his eyes as Cory lavished his face with kisses. Some were soft and gentle, some hot and wet, but all of them set his blood ablaze. Despite his intense arousal, Mulder laughed into Cory's mouth when the other man ran his hands down the inside of Mulder's outstretched arms and across the tender skin of his underarms to his ticklish ribs. He writhed against Cory, creating a delicious friction until the urge to laugh was long gone, subsumed by the need to breathe. Mulder's erection rubbed against the other man's hip, and the contact sent sparks through his groin. He thrust harder against the delicious sensation, wrapping his legs around Cory's. 

Mulder shivered as Cory kissed his throat, licking the already damp skin and biting lightly at his Adam's apple. Sharp teeth nipped at the tendons drawn tight with passion and a velvet tongue swirled around the shell of his ear. A dark husky voice murmured words of need and desire, the hot moist breath against his skin causing an immediate reaction in the rest of his body. Mulder could feel his skin flush and his blood race as his breathing hitched and his cock began to drip. He felt more alive than he had in years. This is what he'd needed for so long, and he hadn't even known it. He'd known something was missing but never knew what until now—it was a man he'd needed. Even though his brain was lust-addled, certain things that he'd thought and felt over the years suddenly made sense. 

"Please..." groaned Mulder. "I need..." 

"What do you need? Tell me what you want, Fox," the sultry voice whispered, as agile hands touched and a heavy body settled on top of Mulder's own restless one. 

'You, Alex. I need you.' Mulder bit his lip to keep the urgent words inside. "I need...I need to come." 

"Yes, Fox, I'll let you come soon. Now tell me what you want." 

"I... don't know..." Mulder's breath caught in what sounded suspiciously like a sob. "Let me touch you." 

"Shh, baby, it's okay. You can move your hands now." 

Mulder's hands flew up as if on springs and grabbed Cory's shoulders, pulling him down for a long deep kiss. Kissing and nipping at the swollen lips, Mulder moved his hands down Cory's back, grabbed that firm ass in a tight grip, and thrust his cock hard against Cory's. Silken steel sliding against his desperate flesh wrenched a moan from Mulder's throat and he thrust harder, jerking his hips faster and faster into those of the man above him—the man who licked the sweat from Mulder's face between hisses and moans of his own. 

"Oh please, ohpleaseohpleaseohplease...yesyesyes...just a little more... so close...harder harder" Mulder dimly recognized the muttering, pleading voice as his own, but the content was utterly lost on him. "Come on, Alex, harder... harder, dammit..." 

As the other man complied with Mulder's demands, the heat engulfed him and with one last thrust that arched his back off the bed, Mulder climaxed with a guttural cry that seemed to originate in the very depths of his being. He came in hot jetting streams that mixed with Cory's as the Immortal spent his seed between their heaving bellies. 

Cory collapsed heavily onto Mulder's chest, forcing a gust of air though the exhausted agent's lips. With a small smile, Mulder brushed the hair off Cory's forehead and said, "Thank you. I needed that more than you'll ever know." 

Laughing a bit breathlessly, Cory replied, "Oh, I think I understand." Then he slipped off to one side and nuzzled the side of Mulder's neck. 

After several minutes of heavy breathing and a general savoring of the moment, Cory reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a handful of Kleenex. Mulder lay still as the Immortal cleaned him up as tenderly, yet matter-of-factly as a mother with a baby. He silently followed Cory's directions to get under the covers, knowing he should leave but unable to make himself do so. 

Slipping under the covers with a jaw-cracking yawn, Cory said, "It's been a long day. Why don't you get some rest, Fox?" He gathered Mulder in his arms and was asleep in seconds. 

Mulder lay there in a daze, mind circling around the evening's events, until finally exhaustion took over and he fell asleep. 

* * *

Disturbing images of a predator stalking him through a dark and silent forest flickered through Mulder's sleeping brain. A low snarling growl came from somewhere close by, raising the hairs on the back of his neck. He spun around to try to find the source of the terrifying noise, but was surrounded by complete impenetrable darkness. Suddenly dizzy, he flung out a hand to find a tree or something to brace against, but met warm soft flesh instead. The resulting grunt of discomfort woke him and he opened his eyes to find the face of Alex Krycek staring back at him with concern and questions in his eyes. 

Raising his head off the pillow, Mulder blinked rapidly at the golden glow from lamp that seemed as bright as a spotlight to his sleepy eyes. "Where... What are _you_ doing here?" 

"Relax, Fox. It's me, Cory, remember?" Cory smiled and tilted his head questioningly until Mulder nodded slowly in response. "You must have been having a nightmare. You whacked me a good one in the chest." 

"Oh. Sorry about that." Mulder rubbed his face and yawned. "What time is it?" 

"A little after three. Do you want to talk about it?" 

"No." 

"Do you want make love again? Do you want me to shut up and let you go back to sleep?" 

Mulder shook his head and lay back against the pillow. "I don't think I'm going to sleep for awhile. I don't think I want to try." 

"What about making love? That still an option?" Cory grinned hopefully. 

"Maybe...Yeah." Mulder rolled over and placed a soft kiss on Cory's cheek, giving silent permission to whatever the other man might suggest. "I want you again." 

Cory smiled and slipped his hands under the sheet, stroking Mulder's cock until it became erect and ready. Pushing the covers back, Cory moved down the bed to take the head of Mulder's cock between his lips, tongue darting in and out of the slit. When he carefully scraped his teeth across the sensitive flesh, Mulder hissed a warning. Cory just smiled up at him again, then licked his way around the ridge and down the length, leaving the throbbing cock slick and shiny with saliva. 

Crawling back to the head of the bed, Cory kissed him and whispered, "Fox, I want you to make love to me." 

"You mean..." Mulder's voice trailed off and his eyebrows arched in surprise. "I've never... I never even thought— Okay, I did think about it once...or twice, maybe." 

"You ever done it with a woman?" Cory asked casually. 

"Had sex? Of course!" Mulder indignantly replied. "What kind of—" 

"I meant anal sex, Fox. I didn't mean to imply I thought you were a complete virgin. You are way too sexy to have remained untouched this long. I'll bet you were quite the heartbreaker before you got all obsessed with your work." 

"I've had my share of lovers." 

"Yeah, you kiss like you've had plenty of practice." Cory dropped a kiss on Mulder's parted lips, stroking the lower one with his tongue. "Of course, that mouth was _made_ for kissing... or cocksucking." 

"Is that a hint?" Mulder smiled and slid down the bed to rain soft kisses over Cory's cock, already leaking pre-ejaculate onto his belly. Mulder licked up the sticky drops, savoring the salty, slightly bitter flavor. It was an odd taste, but he thought he could get used to it. At this point, it seemed a foregone conclusion that he'd be doing this again, soon if he could manage it. 

Taking Cory's cock in his mouth seemed more natural this time and Mulder took as much of the length as he could without choking, then started to suck. Tightening his lips around the thick cock to form a tight seal, he started a rhythmic suction that had Cory squirming and murmuring encouragement. Mulder cradled Cory's heavy sac in one hand, rolling the balls through his fingers as his other hand stroked the rest of Cory's cock. He felt them tighten and start to draw up just as Cory grabbed Mulder's head and tried to pull him loose. 

"Wait, wait! Not yet, Fox. I'm not ready to come yet." 

Mulder rubbed his mouth and said, "You could have fooled me." 

"I want you to fuck me first." 

Mulder's eyes widened a bit at the casualness of the request. "Oh...Okay. Um, do you have anything for lubrication?" 

"I'm all out of lube, but there's one of those little hotel bottles of hand lotion in the bedside table. It ought to work." Cory ran a hand down Mulder's chest, simultaneously soothing and arousing. 

Mulder opened the drawer and found the small bottle. He turned back to Cory and said, "What about condoms?" 

"Don't need them. I _can't_ have any diseases to give you, and whatever you might have wouldn't affect me." Getting out of bed, Cory sighed, "But if it'll make you feel better... I think I have some in my shaving kit. I can't use the immortality excuse with just anyone, you know." 

Mulder watched the beautiful man walk into the bathroom and marveled at the bizarre turn this day, actually yesterday, had taken. He'd been going about his business, thinking how glad he would be to get back to DC and his more important work. Then he'd seen a man whom he'd thought was Alex Krycek casually walking down a street in Nashville, Tennessee. Not only was the man not Alex, but he had a most incredible story to tell. Mulder was looking forward to getting into his files and researching this wild story of Immortals, beheadings, and spectacular light shows. While he had witnessed most of it himself, he knew how simple it was for someone to deceive with so-called proof. 

After a couple of minutes, the door opened and Cory came out with a small foil square in his hand. Mulder had to smile at the sight of the huge erection that bobbed rakishly with each step, and he sighed with relief when Cory said, "I took the liberty of getting myself ready for you." 

"Thank you," replied Mulder, unsure what else to say. He'd been taught from a young age to fall back on good manners when in doubt. "How do you want to do this?" 

Pulling the bedspread and sheet all the way to the end of the bed, Cory climbed up in the middle and said, "I think with me on hands and knees would be easiest." He then assumed the position and urged Mulder to join him. 

Moving behind the other man to kneel between his legs, Mulder looked at the ass so temptingly presented and swallowed hard as he rolled on the condom. He fumbled the lotion bottle open, squeezing out half the contents into his palm. The lotion was a cool shock to his heated cock even through the thin barrier of latex, but it warmed quickly as he covered the entire length with a heavy coating. Guiding his cock with one hand, he placed the other on the smooth muscular curve of Cory's ass, but hesitated as the tip of his cock touched the opening that looked much too small to take what he was about to do. "Are you sure you want to do this? Cory?" 

"I'm glad you remembered my name, Fox. Yes, I'm sure," replied Cory, his voice sounding very strained with a tinge of impatience. "Do it, Fox." 

"Okay, if you're sure..." Mulder leaned over Cory's back and pushed inside slowly. He stopped when the head was inside, gasping at the incredible tightness and veritable inferno of Cory's body. "Are...are you okay?" 

"Don't stop now," grunted Cory, then he thrust his hips back and impaled himself further on the invading cock, startling a surprised scream out of Mulder. 

Mulder eased in the rest of the way until he was completely buried inside the other man. The channel was indeed much smaller than any woman he'd been with, and he was nearly afraid to move. The walls squeezed his cock so tightly that it was almost painful. But it also felt very good, too good to stop, so he pulled out about halfway then pushed in again. The heat of the friction spread through his body, sending sweat rolling down his back and dripping from his face onto the tanned expanse of Cory's back. Cory was rocking his hips, encouraging Mulder to keep going, and Mulder tried to match the rhythm. Once they were in synch, Mulder reached around and took Cory's erection in one hand, stroking and drawing moans from the quivering man. 

Save for the occasional grunt or hiss, Mulder was silent, pounding into the Immortal faster and harder as he felt his orgasm gathering down his spine and in his balls. He knew he wouldn't last much longer so he continued jerking Cory's cock with a precision born of decades of practice. Although it was his first time, he sincerely wanted it to be good for his partner. The loud groan that accompanied the come spilling over his hand assured him it was, so he let himself go and, with a couple of thrusts, came explosively inside the hot grasping body. 

When Cory collapsed onto the bed, Mulder followed him down, pulling out as gently as he could. Carefully stripping off the condom and dropping it in a conveniently placed wastebasket, Mulder settled on his back next to Cory on the rumpled bed. He closed his eyes as long fingers grazed his cheek and tenderly poked at his lower lip. He smiled slightly when the fingers were replaced by soft lips that whispered against his skin, "You did good for a beginner. Thanks for the gift." 

"I should be thanking you... for the whole night." Mulder looked over into amused green eyes. "It's been quite a learning experience." 

Cory laughed and said, "I guess so. What are you going to do now?" 

"I have no idea. Go back to sleep?" 

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Have you decided to accept being bisexual or are you going to walk out that door and back into the closet?" 

"I don't know if I could do that. This—" He waved a hand over their naked bodies pressed against each other. "—felt so right, you know? Like I found a part of me that I've been missing." As true as that statement was, Mulder couldn't bring himself to say the rest, that something still wasn't quite right. He wasn't with the right person. And no matter how close a match, a substitute just was not enough to fill the need he'd kept buried for so long and was now bringing into the light. 

"I'm glad it was good for you, Fox. You can figure it all out later. Now, though, you can catch another couple hours of sleep before you have to go back to your hotel, right?" 

"Do you mind if I go take a shower first?" Mulder scratched at his sweat-dampened hair, and rubbed a hand over his face. He was tired, but he felt too grungy to sleep comfortably. 

"Sure, go ahead. If I'm still awake when you come back, I might do the same." 

As drowsy as Cory sounded, Mulder doubted very much that he'd still be awake. And when he returned ten minutes later, he was proven right. He looked at the man sprawled in the crumpled sheets and felt a little appalled at how he'd spent this night with a total stranger. Putting on his clothes, he inspected the familiar features one last time and shivered. 

'As good as it all was, you're not even _real_ to me. You're an apparition... with all the deceptive depth of reflections on glass... you're a ...a replacement.' "I shouldn't have used you like this." Sighing sadly, he brushed his fingers lightly over Cory's hair, and whispered, "I'm sorry. You're just not him." 

With renewed determination to find Krycek and explore the feelings between them, Mulder walked out of the room never noticing the soft smile that graced the face of the apparently sleeping man. 

* * *

Epilogue— Cory: 

"In local news, police are investigating a burglary of the First Citizen's Bank on Charlotte Avenue this morning. Late last night thieves broke into the bank using a small explosive device, and made off with a substantial amount of money. First Citizen's Bank has declined comment on the amount taken, but stated they anticipate being open for business as soon as Thursday. Police will not say if they have any suspects, and no further details are available at this time. In other news, the Mayor's proposal for—" 

_click_

"—and they're not as backward as they used to be, he's gone country, look at them boots, he's gone— 

_click_

"—oh-two-nine and be the ninth caller for two tickets to see The Offspring and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones with special guest —" 

_click_

"— story to make you feel good. This morning, three local organizations: Sydney's Place, a home for AIDS and Crack babies; Heaven Sent Children's Home, an orphanage; and Rose Haven, a safehouse for battered women, all received anonymous donations of over fifty thousand dollars each. Spokespersons for the organizations— " 

_click_

"— on my brain, you're teacher I'm the student, turning things around, your story not congruent—" 

_click_

"—That frown you're wearing's just your halo turned upside down Where is the laughter We once shared back in the lost and found These broken wings are gonna leave me here To stand my ground And you can have this ticket for that lonely plane That's flying out..." 

Singing along with Nanci Griffith, Cory rolled down the window to let in the fresh morning air. It was still cool, but the sun was shining amid scattered marshmallow fluff clouds, promising a warm day ahead. Rolling north on I-65, he savored the pleasure of success. His work here was done, and he was heading north for awhile. Chicago sounded good. Lots of banks in Chicago, he grinned to himself. He thought about the handsome FBI agent 

He'd spent such a pleasant evening with last week and hoped Fox could get his troubles straightened out soon. The guy was an emotional mess, repressing his feelings, falling for criminals... 

Cory imagined the look on Mulder's face if he ever found out what Cory did for a living, and laughed out loud. He cranked the radio just a little louder. It was going to be a fine day indeed. 

* * *

Epilogue—Mulder: 

It had taken him almost two months. Eight weeks and two days of searching, threats, and occasional bribery, but finally Mulder had gotten a tip that seemed more credible than any of the false leads that had almost made him give up his quest. This time he had an address and a date, the when and the where of a planned exchange. Exchange of what, he wasn't sure. Weapons, alien technology, information... it could be anything, and for once, he wasn't too concerned about the illegalities or how they pertained to his life's work. He was only interested in one of the attending parties—Alex Krycek. 

As he watched the corridor from the barely open door of his room, he almost laughed at the coincidence of finally finding Krycek in a luxury hotel— this one back home in Washington. He gave a brief thought for Cory Raines, wondering where he was and if he was staying out of trouble. Mulder somehow doubted it. 

An hour and a half before the estimated time of the meeting, the elevator door opened with a discreet _whish_ and out stepped the man for whom Mulder had been so diligently searching. Mulder watched through the crack in the door as Krycek, dressed in a navy blue silk suit to match the elegance of his surroundings, cautiously made his way down the corridor to the room diagonally across the hall from Mulder's hiding place. When he passed Mulder, the agent opened the door and hustled Krycek into the room. 

"Mulder? What are you doing here?" Alex sounded incredulous, but not frightened by Mulder's surprise appearance in his life. 

Mulder didn't reply with words. Instead, he shoved Alex against the wall and devoured his mouth. _Kiss_ was much too tepid a word for the voracious claiming that left both men breathless when Mulder finally pulled away. 

"What the hell was that all about? Have you finally gone insane?" Krycek stared at him with wide eyes and Mulder had to stop himself from nodding his agreement. He smiled brightly which seemed to confuse the man even more. Not surprising really, he hadn't had much to smile about in his encounters with Krycek, but that was about to change. 

"Mulder? What is going on? Would you stop grinning like that? It's creeping me out." Although Krycek spoke with mild annoyance, Mulder noticed that he wasn't trying to get away. The Syndicate's right hand man remained pressed against the wall, watching Mulder as one might watch a snake that _could_ be poisonous. 

"You kissed me first." Mulder replied in a reasonable tone, as if the non-answer made perfect sense, because to him it did. "On the cheek, last year. Don't tell me you don't remember." 

"No, I definitely remember that. So this is... what? Long delayed payback? Why aren't you hitting me then?" 

"I don't want to hit you. Actually, I'd like to kiss you again, if you'll hold still for it." Mulder leaned slowly closer, giving Alex time to move away if he chose. But he didn't move, just watched Mulder come closer until their lips were an inch apart, then he sighed and closed his eyes. 

Mulder licked at the warm sweet breath that washed over his lips, and narrowed his eyes at the surrender that came a little too easily. Nothing that he wanted so badly had ever come easily so naturally it was suspect. He brushed his lips across Alex's then drew away slightly, pleased when Alex followed and kissed him back. 

"So is that it? I say that I want to kiss you and you fall right in line?" 

Krycek raised an eyebrow and said, "This has moved from merely bizarre into The Twilight Zone. Mulder, I thought you knew I was bi when I was sent to seduce you." 

"What? When was that?" Mulder thought back to the night Krycek had kissed him and then left so quickly. If that had been a seduction, it had been a piss-poor attempt. He hadn't even stuck around to see if it worked. 

Krycek threw back his head and laughed loudly, not even noticing the thunk as it hit the wall behind him. "During the Augustus Cole case, when I was fresh out of Quantico...more or less. You mean to tell me that my failure was due to your obliviousness and not the lack of time I've thought it was all these years?" He laughed again, but much quieter this time. "I can't believe this! I've been blaming that stupid Duane Barry for messing up my plans, when _you_ were the biggest obstacle I had to overcome. Damn, what a piece of work." 

Mulder shook his head and wondered how he could have been so blind. He'd noticed the way the green young agent had stood just a little too close, looked at Mulder just a little too long... He'd chalked it up to overeager ambition with a generous helping of hero worship. "Well, what do we do now?" 

"How the hell should I know? You're the one who accosted me. Didn't you have a plan of some sort?" Krycek didn't speak as sarcastically as Mulder might have expected, and an emerald twinkle shone in his eyes. 

"Well, I could always handcuff you to the bed and interrogate you. Make you spill your guts about what's going down here today," mused Mulder, backing away from the other man. 

Krycek snorted, and said, "You cuff me to the bed and my guts won't be what gets spilled." 

"Do you want to volunteer what's going to happen at the meeting across the hall? Just to save us both some time and trouble?" 

"Would you believe anything I told you?" 

"Probably not. Would you tell me the truth?" 

"Probably not," smirked Krycek, flooding Mulder with a sense of the familiar. "But I don't have to be there either. I was just going as a courtesy to a... colleague. We could always go somewhere else and get reacquainted." 

"Somewhere safer, you mean." 

"Or somewhere more familiar." 

Mulder blinked at the echo of his thoughts and nodded slowly. "Yeah, that was my plan all along." 

Krycek laughed and cuffed him gently on the shoulder with his leather-gloved artificial hand and said, "No, it wasn't. You didn't have a plan." 

Mulder did not react to the touch of that hard plastic hand. He watched Krycek with a bland expression and said calmly, "Yes, I did. I planned to get you and I did." 

"Now, what are you going to do with me?" 

"I guess we'll just see what develops." 

"So you _still_ don't have a plan." Krycek shook his head in mock exasperation. "Mulder, really. You can't keep going off half cocked like this." 

"Okay, I'll go off fully cocked next time." 

"I'm counting on it. Now, let's go before the other guys show up across the hall." 

Mulder was still a little suspicious at the ease with which Krycek had fallen into his lap, so to speak, and vowed to go slowly in this exploration. His brief experience with Cory may have given him the courage to do this, but it didn't give him a map to follow. 

So he'd just have to draw his own map. 

The End. 

_The songs on Cory's radio were Gone Country by Alan Jackson, Leech by Eve 6, and Outbound Plane by Nanci Griffith. No infringement, yadda yadda._

* * *

Fandom: X-Files/Highlander Crossover   
Pairing: Mulder/Cory Raines, M/K?   
Rating: NC-17   
Archive: RatB only   
Disclaimers: I don't own these characters, just the thoughts and deeds contained herein.   
Warnings: I play very fast and loose with HL Canon (specifically what happens to the bodies of dead Immies). If that bothers you overmuch, you've now been warned so don't give me grief about it. Does Virgin!Mulder need a warning?   
Great big sloppy kisses to Mouse for cracking the whip and Nicole for being the most supportive friend a girl could ask for. These are two fine and excellent betas so obviously the mistakes are clearly mine. Note: _emphasis_ and 'internal thoughts' (the double slashes I usually use were doing weird things in my mail program)   
---


End file.
